Student Experimental Film Festival features student films from across the country, See page 7
Monday, November 25, 2019 | Vol. XCVI, Issue 26 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
The Free Word on Campus Since 1946
County sheriff criticizes new bill Statewide memo aims to lower pretrial incarceration rates Nicole Kaufman news intern
protest, including one that targeted a physician employed at the Broome County Jail, which has been criticized by several community justice groups for inadequate conditions and medical care. Another sign said “Welcome to Broome County Jail,” with a drawing depicting
The Broome County Jail will be seeing major changes when New York state implements the Bail Elimination Act on Jan. 1. The act aims to end monetary bail and pretrial incarceration for most lowerlevel offenses to promote “equity and fairness in the criminal justice system.” But Broome County Sheriff David Harder said he is concerned about the lack of thought he believes went into drafting the new law. “If I point a gun at you and steal your belongings, if caught I have to be released on an appearance ticket,” Harder said. “I break into your residence and steal things and get caught, I have to be released on an appearance ticket. These are classified as violent felonies.” The legislation has reignited a yearslong conversation about conditions at the jail and bail reform in New York state and the Binghamton area. Anthony Smith, a correctional officer who has been working at the Broome County Jail for approximately 11 years, voiced his concerns about the new law. “There are no consequences for your actions anymore,” Smith said. “It’s scary.” But a number of community organizations, such as Justice and Unity
see law page 3
see reform page 5
erza beede contributing photographer An attendee takes a video of a protest in the Broome County Legislative Chamber on Thursday night. At the meeting, legislators planned to vote on a law that would criminalize “annoy[ing]” first responders.
Nine arrested at protest on proposed law Legislation would charge people for ‘annoy[ing]’ first responders Rachel Tavares & Kaitlyn Hart pipe dream news
Protests erupted in the Broome County Legislative Chamber on
Thursday night as legislators met to vote on a law that would criminalize “annoying, alarming or threaten[ing] the personal safety of any emergency first responder.” Under the proposed law, violators could face a misdemeanor charge, a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. At the Broome County Legislature’s
meeting, protesters disrupted and put a hold on the proceedings for over an hour, standing in and packing the chamber over capacity. Broome County security, police officers and state troopers were called in, arresting nine for fire code violations and removing others who took the opportunity to criticize the justice system. Several held signs in
Hinman BU graduate student develops free meal map College sponsors camp-out Men’s basketball takes down Black Knights Ben Levine aims to connect locals in need with free food Spencer Lubell
contributing writer
For community members looking
to enjoy a free meal, a new resource is available. Ben Levine, a first-year graduate student studying geography, created a map of Binghamton and Johnson City with indicators marking off where free meals are available throughout the week. Levine’s “Community Meal Maps”
mark his attempt to help fight hunger and food insecurity in the local community. His map shows the locations of places that area residents can go to receive a free meal and when they can get it. Levine started his map last winter, and with the help of several local nonprofit organizations, he began
printing and distributing his maps. “I am also working to map food pantry clients for a local nonprofit, who oversees most [food pantries] called CHOW,” Levine said. “I came to this idea largely as a result of my interactions with
see map page 5
Annual event aims to raise awareness on homelessness
Melanie Gulbas & Lakshmi Chatterjee pipe dream news
Giving up their Friday night plans, some Binghamton University students chose to sleep outdoors this weekend in an effort to raise awareness of homelessness in the Binghamton area. The sixth-annual “Sleep Out” was hosted by BU in partnership with the Binghamton Rescue Mission, a nonprofit organization that provides housing to individuals facing homelessness or those at risk of being homeless. The event was sponsored by Hinman College, and started Friday night on Nov. 22, lasting until 6 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23. Throughout the night, the students participated in a variety of activities, including making holiday cards for the residents of the Binghamton Rescue Mission, poetry readings on the topic of homelessness, a post-midnight film viewing and conversations around a fire. Jessica Stanis, director of the
Binghamton wins third consecutive game after 0-3 start to season Justin Zion
sports editor
In front of an enthusiastic Events Center crowd, the Binghamton men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to three games by downing the Army Black Knights, 88-73. The Bearcats (3-3) put forth their best offensive performance of the season, blitzing the Black Knights (2-3) with 88 points on 53.2-percent shooting to seal the win. “I thought it was a really complete effort from our group,” said Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey. “We had five guys in double figures, and I think that’s a good formula for us. When we’re sharing the offense, we’re tough to guard. We have a lot of guys that naturally put the ball in the basket, and we have the court spread, the ball’s moving and we become tougher to guard through this early portion of the season.” Five BU players scored 13 points or more
see homelessness page 3
see basketball page 12
ARTS & CULTURE
alex gross contributing photographer Senior forward Pierre Sarr recorded a double-double in Binghamton’s win over Army, scoring 16 points and collecting 13 rebounds.
OPINIONS
SPORTS
De Colores Cookies y Mas to move to new space,
Student orchestra celebrates 11th year of original music,
Contributing columnist Sophie Miller proposes a different method of coping with holiday stress,
Wrestling falls to No. 9 North Carolina State at home,
Women’s basketball wins sixth consecutive game,
SEE PAGE 6
SEE PAGE 6
SEE PAGE 9
SEE PAGE 11
SEE PAGE 12
PAGE II Monday, November 2019 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,2,25, 5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017
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zachary canaperi contributing photographer Students join Dickinson Community resident assistants on Thursday night in the Digman Hall Great Room to make their own stained glass and decorate their dorm rooms.
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— Michael Bloomberg, who announced he is running for president on Sunday. Bloomberg, a former Republican mayor of New York City and a multibillionaire, is running in the Democratic primary.
Wednesday, Nov. 27
This Day in History Nov. 25, 1963
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“Defeating Donald Trump — and rebuilding America — is the most urgent and important fight of our lives. And I’m going all in. I offer myself as a doer and a problem solver — not a talker. And someone who is ready to take on the tough fights — and win.”
Showers likely 52° — 35°
Former President John F. Kennedy is laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery with a 21-gun salute following his assassination on Nov. 22. More than 800,000 people mourned his death in Washington, D.C. as his funeral took place.
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Pipe Dream is published by the Pipe Dream Executive Board, which has sole and final discretion over the newspaper’s content and personnel. Positions seated on the executive board are denoted by an asterisk. Pipe Dream is published Mondays and Thursdays while classes are in session during the fall and spring semesters, except during finals weeks and academic breaks. The content on the Opinions page with bylines represent the views of those authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Pipe Dream Executive Board. The content of advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of the Pipe Dream Executive Board. We reserve the right to reject ads for any reason. All letters submitted for publication must include the author's name, year and major. Please limit letters to the editor to 400 words and guest columns to 750 words. Pipe Dream reserves the right to edit submissions, and does not guarantee publication. All submissions become property of Pipe Dream. Guest column submissions may be emailed to the opinions editor at opinions@ bupipedream.com, and all letters to the editor may be sent to editor@bupipedream.com. © Pipe Dream 2019
stabilizing:potluck
dating:destabilizing
Police Watch The following accounts were provided by Investigator Mark Silverio of Binghamton’s New York State University Police. Mixed dresses TUESDAY, Nov. 19, 8:24 p.m. — Officers responded to Delaware Hall of Newing College for a larceny report by a 20-year-old female student. The student said she put two black dresses in the washing machine around 4 p.m., but found one was missing when she returned at about 8 p.m. The other dress was also located in a different spot from where she left it. After searching the laundry room, the student notified a resident assistant (RA), who contacted UPD. Officers helped the student search the laundry room, but could not locate the dress. Officers spoke with another student, a 19-year-old female, who was also in the laundry room at the time. She said she saw the one dress sitting on top of the dryer, and stated she knew the student who had moved the dresses, another 19-year-old female. Officers spoke to this student, who said she saw the one dress on top of the machine and continued to do her laundry. Officers then asked her to look through her own laundry, and discovered that the dress had accidentally been mixed in with her load of clothing. The dress was returned to its owner. ‘Caught in the act’ WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 11:07 p.m. — Officers responded to O’Connor Hall of Dickinson Community after receiving a drug complaint from the RA on duty. The RA said she smelled marijuana and knocked on the door at the source of the smell. The suspect, an 18-year-old male, opened the door and admitted he was smoking marijuana in the room. The RA proceeded to contact UPD. Officers spoke with the suspect, who
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said he was “caught in the act.” The suspect voluntarily produced two small bags containing 10.3 grams of marijuana and was issued an appearance ticket for Vestal Town Court. Scam call THURSDAY, Nov. 21, 8:17 p.m. — Officers responded after a 23-year-old male student called UPD to report fraud. While on an Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) bus headed to campus, the male said he received a phone call from an unknown number. The caller said he had observed suspicious activity on the male’s social media accounts and advised him that a lawsuit would be filed against him. The caller also threatened to suspend the male’s social security number. The caller gave the student a number to call back for instructions on how to deal with the issue. Upon realizing the call was a scam, the male reported the phone number to UPD. When officers attempted to call the number the student had been given, they reached an automated voice. The case remains under investigation. Lost wallet THURSDAY, Nov. 21, 8:18 p.m. — Officers responded to a theft complaint made by a 20-year-old male student. The student said he lost his wallet and wanted to report it as stolen. The student explained he accidentally left his wallet on the third floor of Classroom Wing earlier in the day and realized he was missing it when trying to buy food from the Marketplace. He then returned to Classroom Wing and was unable to find his wallet. Officers examined video footage from the area, but were unable to locate the student. Officers reached out to the student to narrow down the time frame, and were told that the student’s philosophy professor found his wallet and contacted him. The student will receive his wallet when he returns to class.
LOCAL NEWS
Battisti demands recount of votes in tight district attorney race By Tuesday night, absentee ballots in the Broome County district attorney race were counted and the election results were declared, but one candidate is calling for a recount, according to WICZ. Republican Paul Battisti released a statement on Facebook calling for all ballots cast in the election to be recounted by hand just an hour after Libertarian Michael Korchak was announced as winner of the race. A margin of 46 votes separated Korchak and Battisti out of around 43,000 ballots cast this election season, including absentee, affidavit and military ballots. STATE NEWS
New York state sues JUUL Labs, Inc., claims company ignored state marketing laws The state of New York is suing JUUL Labs, Inc., for allegedly disregarding state marketing laws by targeting teenagers with their vaping and e-cigarette products and making misleading statements regarding the nicotine content the products contain, according to Bloomberg. New York’s lawsuit alleges that by targeting teenagers in their advertisements, the company caused many young New Yorkers to become addicted to nicotine. Letitia James, New York’s attorney
general, announced the lawsuit on Tuesday, just a day after California filed a similar suit against the company. It comes in the wake of continued reports of deaths and injuries linked to vaping across the United States. Austin Finan, a spokesperson for JUUL Labs, Inc., said last week that the company wants to reset the vapor category and earn consumer’s trust by working with officials to fight underage smoking. INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Hong Kong elections see surge of pro-democratic victories Hong Kong’s elections on Sunday saw record voter turnout, spearheaded by months of prodemocratic street protests that expressed discontent with the Hong Kong government, according to The New York Times. An estimated three million voters cast ballots, resulting in pro-democratic parties capturing at least 201 out of 452 seats, according to early election results. Pro-democratic candidates could gain more seats over the next few days, as ballots in some races continue to be counted. The protests in Hong Kong, which have gained international attention, have grown increasingly violent over the past six months. With nearly seven in 10 voters supporting the pro-democratic movement in the elections, the results pose a challenge for China’s central government, which has sought to stifle the unrest in Hong Kong.
bupipedream.com | November 25, 2019
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Students gather at Hinman College on Friday night and gear up to spend the night outside in an effort to educate students for National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
lucas peterka contributing photographer
Students sleep on Hinman Quad for awareness event homelessness from page 1 Binghamton Rescue Mission, said the timing of the event coincided with National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and the beginning of the colder months, which helps participants understand the reality of what the homeless population endures. Since she started participating in the event three years ago, Stanis said she has seen more students support the sleep out each year.
“Last year we had snow and this year we have lots of wind and it is pretty cold, but these students are motivated and extremely involved, both on campus and off campus, with our organization,” Stanis said. Stanis said the volunteers help throughout the year by making meals, baking desserts and raising money for the Binghamton Rescue Mission. She said the Binghamton Rescue Mission is more than just a home and provides help with
food, clothing, transportation and case management for homeless individuals. “We help those we serve become healthy and productive members of our community,” Stanis said. “By that I mean we help them get jobs, maintain their sobriety, reconnect with their families, we help them work toward their goals.” Lexi Murman, an organizer of the event and a senior majoring in political science, said the goal is
to get more students involved and to give back to the community as much as they can. “We just want to raise awareness of the homeless population and what we can do to help them, whether it be through getting connected with [organizations] like the Binghamton Rescue Mission [or] volunteering at soup kitchens or donating money, whatever you can,” Murman said. This is the fourth year Murman
participated in the event, and she said every year organizers see between 80 to 120 participants. Last year, even with the snowy weather conditions, they had 80 participants. “It’s been a tradition in Hinman [College] that people look forward to,” Murman said. “It’s always the same weekend every year, so they know when to look forward to it, which is helpful.” Murman said the “Sleep Out” was not meant to simulate
homelessness because the true experience of homelessness lasts more than one night. However, the event does raise awareness about the conditions homeless individuals live in year-round. “We have the privilege of going back to our dorm or apartment,” Murman said. “So on nights like this where it’s easy to be like, ‘Oh, it’s cold, let’s go inside,’ other people don’t have that.”
Legislators decide to delay vote on law following protest law from page 1 the grim reaper carrying a scythe. Lawmakers such as Scott Baker, who introduced and drafted the bill, said the law, titled the “Emergency First Responders Protection Act of 2019,” is meant to protect first responders on the scene of emergencies. However, others, including the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) said the law would be unconstitutional. “The proposed law … irreconcilably clashes with the First and 14th Amendments,” the NYCLU said. “It is flatly unconstitutional, has been thrown out in nearly identical iterations by every court to review it and, if it is ever enforced here, will be similarly struck down,
perhaps at considerable expense to the county. The NYCLU urges Broome County not to adopt it.” Several Binghamton University students are also against the proposed law, including Scott Sherman, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law. Sherman attended the protest after hearing about the law in question from a professor. “My professor … told me about this protest,” Sherman said. “He told me they were trying to pass a law that would make annoying the police illegal and punishable by a $5,000 fine, and I find that completely reprehensible. That’s a very dangerous slope toward authoritarianism to me.” Another vocal opponent of the law and one of those arrested is Andrew Pragacz, a lifelong
resident of the area, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at BU and a visiting assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at SUNY Cortland. Pragacz is also one of the founding members of Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier (JUST), a community organization aimed at fighting against mass incarceration and mass policing. “It is not illegal to be annoying, and I think there are a lot of things that annoy police officers,” Pragacz said. “What they find annoying is us protesting jail deaths. You can’t criminalize being annoying, because annoying is what it means to protest. This law is a clear attempt to silence the discussion about criminal justice reform and criticizing public officials.”
Prior to the meeting, protesters held up 11 gravestones and read the names and dates of death for each person who recently died while incarcerated at the Broome County Jail, some of whom have lawsuits pending from their families. Upon the official commencement of the meeting, protesters interrupted the legislative proceedings by echoing chants such as, “This is what democracy looks like” and “No justice, no peace.” Daniel Reynolds, chair of the Broome County Legislature, took to the podium to address his fellow committee members and protesters alike. “The reason for this legislation was not to oppress anyone in particular,” Reynolds said. “We have been talking about this for a
while and one of the reasons it came up was because of firefighters. It was firefighters, paramedics, it wasn’t law enforcement. It isn’t so someone can silence anybody. Constitutional law supersedes anything, so you can’t use this for suppression of First Amendment rights anyway. But protecting our first responders is important.” Tina Chronopoulos, interim director of the Center of Medieval and Renaissance Studies and an associate professor of classics and Near Eastern studies, raised questions of hypocrisy while connecting the proposed law with the recent campus protests. “On the one hand, politicians like [state Sen. Fred] Akshar and [Binghamton Mayor] Rich David condemn student protesters on campus for ‘shutting down free
speech,’ and yet on the other hand, they fully support this proposed law, which, if passed, will have an impact that is very similar on shutting down free speech,” Chronopoulos wrote in an email. “Namely that folks like those who protested on Indigenous People’s Day, and those who go to protests to bear witness [and] record actions of the police, may now feel a chill and may no longer feel ‘free’ to record these actions when they have every right to do so.” At the meeting, the legislators unanimously passed a motion to revise the proposed amendment to remove the word “annoy,” deeming it too vague and easily misunderstood. The revised version of the bill will be voted on at the next legislative meeting on Thursday, Dec. 19.
4
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bupipedream.com | November 25, 2019
alex gross contributing photographer
Experts and advocates lead a discussion at the Food Sustainability Panel on Friday night, calling for better awareness on campus of mindful food consumption.
Panel discussion highlights local food sustainability IDEAS hosts talk, aims to educate BU students Rachel Tavares
contributing writer
The Binghamton community rallied behind food sustainability on Friday night with a panel discussion consisting of experts and advocates from local and campus-affiliated organizations. The event was co-sponsored by two student groups, Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions (IDEAS) for Binghamton and Animal Alliance, with the intent of informing Binghamton University students of the impact of unsustainable farming and diets. Paris Martin, outreach coordinator of IDEAS and a senior majoring in environmental studies, said the point of hosting the event was to encourage students to be more mindful of food sustainability. “Food sustainability obviously has a lot of impacts on our environment, on our health and
on climate change,” Martin said. “I feel it’s really important to get information out there about how we can be better in our food consumption, because that’s not going to go away, the impact it has and seeing that there is light at the end of the tunnel, which I’m hoping [the panelists] are going to give us some sense of mind to.” Dick Andrus, founder of the environmental studies program at the University, has taught issues regarding food sustainability for more than 40 years and spearheaded the discussion on the unsustainable modern farming industry. Andrus said food sustainability is hurt by big farms with capitalist interests. “Most of the food that is produced in the country is produced on huge farms,” Andrus said. “It’s done that way because it works in a capitalist account. It gets you the most calories for your buck. If you’re going to spend your time building up the soil, you’re not going to make money today … You’ve got to make it today, otherwise, you
won’t be around tomorrow.” Panelist Bob Cat, co-owner of Main Street Farms in Cortland and a board member for Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), said sustainable farming is a dying art because of the lucrative nature of the mass farming industry. “We can make the world a better place through supporting our local farms and just showing up and celebrating the farmer,” Cat said. “We work really hard for long hours for not that much money. There’s a lot of people who say, ‘I want to eat healthy, but it’s too expensive.’ Well, that’s what real food costs. If you work a job, you want to be paid in your time for what you’re working for, so why is it okay that we pay a doctor or we pay a mechanic what they’re worth, but for some reason farmers — they’re all struggling.” Cat said he aims to educate communities on supporting both organic and local farms, which he defines as originating within a day’s drive, or approximately 500 kilometers. Although the panelists all try to eat as locally as possible,
Andrus admits that eating locally does have its drawbacks. “Health-wise, I should eat bananas,” Andrus said. “But ethically, I just can’t do it.” Nicholas Walling, a junior majoring in computer science, said the panel discussion encouraged him to think more about spending the extra money on food for the shot at a sustainable future. “Hearing the panelists speak on the importance of buying from local, sustainable farmers and paying for the real cost of food, which includes the environmental costs of growing sustainably, has convinced me to spend the small amount of extra money it takes to buy local produce,” Walling said. “They even made me aware of the local farmers market in Binghamton.” Another panelist, Hope Townsend, program assistant for Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments (VINES), said VINES’ main goal is to create a just and sustainable food system for the Binghamton area. VINES
Word Street on the
owns a two-acre communitysupported agriculture (CSA) farm composed of an urban farm as well as a community garden. Open year-round, the CSA farm offers semester-long subsidized memberships for students. Panelists also recommended that students looking to live more sustainably should visit the Food Co-op located in the University Union, a student-run local and organic grocery store on campus. The discussion highlighted another opportunity for students to get involved in food sustainability through the Binghamton Food Rescue, a local organization that picks up and redistributes food from farmers markets within 24 hours. Eliana Epstein, director of Binghamton Food Rescue and a secondyear graduate student studying sustainable communities, said it is not local farmers who are the biggest food wasters, but supermarkets who throw out over 40 percent of their inventory. “Farmers markets and farmers aren’t the big food wasters in this country — [they’re]
supermarkets,” Epstein said. “Ideally, in the future, we can form more of a relationship with supermarkets and maybe even do some local policy work.” According to Epstein, Binghamton Food Rescue is always looking for student volunteers to help sort through the food they receive or help distribute it if they have cars. Rasleen Kukreja, a firstyear graduate student studying business administration, attended the panel discussion and said she made the switch to a more sustainable lifestyle two years ago, but feels sustainability options should be marketed more by the University. “BU Acres and composting is not really supported by the University,” Kukreja said. “I’m an off-campus student and I have a lot of organic waste because I cook every day. If I could bring it to BU Acres, it could make a difference.”
With finals coming up, how do you de-stress?
Hanna Fritsch,
Zachary Chestnut,
Raymond Clouse,
Jaden Beck,
“I take a lot of naps when I’m trying to destress. I also take a lot of walks around the Brain and go to Jazzman’s for coffee.”
“Video games, hanging out with friends, sleeping, going to the gym. I feel like those are the best ways I reduce my stress during finals.”
“For me, with finals coming up, I usually play soccer with the club soccer team. This [question] is tough because it’s hard to destress. I’ll hang out with friends, get food. I do more events Downtown with friends; that’s really it.”
“Probably hanging out with friends and figuring out how to study with them, so it’s like I’m doing my work but having fun at the same time.”
a freshman majoring in biology
a junior majoring in psychology
a junior majoring in mathematics
an undeclared freshman
bupipedream.com | November 25, 2019
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Local activist groups voice support for 2020 jail reform bill reform from page 1 for the Southern Tier (JUST) and Progressive Leaders Of Tomorrow (PLOT), have voiced concerns about these “consequences” in the Broome County Jail, which has seen 11 inmate deaths since 2011. During their Broome County Jail on Trial Forum held on Nov. 7, JUST members expressed their support for the new bill. “[We demand Broome County Jail] reduce the jail population by at least 70 percent by implementing fully the new state law effectively ending cash bail, providing ample community treatment facilities and other substantive alternatives to incarceration and prioritizing the release of individuals requiring treatment for substance use, disabilities and mental health issues,” JUST wrote in a release. Although the jail does provide a medical forensic unit and a psychiatrist in their medical staff, Harder said the amount of mental health treatment the jail can provide is limited. According to Harder, about 80 percent of the jail’s population struggle with addiction or other mental health problems. “We do have to realize, of course, that the great governor of ours in his instant wisdom has closed most of the mental institutions [and] downsized the rehab centers,” Harder said. “So, where do people end up? Here in the jail.” Gabreella Friday, a thirdyear graduate student studying sociology, said during the forum that she was concerned about inmates’ mental health, among other traits, potentially making them a target for abuse. “It has become clear to me that once you’re arrested and placed in jail, your humanity is placed on hold,” Friday said. “Your basic human rights, needs and dignities are denied. Race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or medical needs can make you a target for abuses from correctional staff. Their voices are too easily and readily silenced under the total institution of the jail.” As a correctional officer, Smith said he is concerned about this growing perception he feels media outlets perpetuate of his profession. “I’m not a bad guy,” Smith said. “I’m a loving husband and a father who hugs his kids every night. I’m even their flag football coach.” Harder said the idea that
Community members line the street leading to the Broome County Jail in September while protesting deaths at the facility.
race is a contributing factor of incarceration in Broome County Jail is a rumor, citing current statistics of the jail. According to Harder, for every one black inmate currently placed in Broome County Jail, there are two white inmates. Broome County is 86 percent white, according to 2018 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. “Certain people try to say that if you’re black, you’re going to automatically be sent here over whites,” Harder said. “It’s not true.” Kojo Senoo, ’19, said during the forum that he cannot separate race from Broome County’s mass incarceration issue, especially since the Ku Klux Klan previously held their New York state headquarters in Binghamton in the 1920s. “In Binghamton, these police, these politicians, they’re enabled by these white supremacists,” Senoo said. “These white supremacists are enabled by them. We cannot tell the story
of mass incarceration in Broome County without identifying and fighting against those things.” Harder said he does not allow members from organizations like JUST and PLOT to visit the jail, even though the community organizations have criticized the jail for insufficient health care, inedible food and filthy living conditions. “I wouldn’t let them in the building because all they would do is just be nasty,” Harder said. “They can’t be neutral. They’re totally against it. I had a couple people go through that were in this one group, and all they did was criticize the living daylights out of us. Never said anything nice about what we did.” According to Harder, the jail is inspected by the New York State Commission of Correction multiple times a year. In their most recent inspection, Harder said they only found minor problems. Harder said the jail was also recently inspected by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.
Student-created map shows local free meals, amenities map from page 1 some people who are homeless or who have been homeless, and I was also really interested in using what I was learning in geography for as [many] local purposes as possible.” To make the maps, Levine traveled to each location, tried the food they offer and marked when they are open and offering meals. “I went to every single one of these meals to make sure I had accurate information about their times, their locations, if they were closed at any time during the month or year,” Levine said. With the financial backing of several area religious organizations and Binghamton University groups, such as the Broome County Council of Churches, Off Campus College, the Office of the Dean of Students and the United Presbyterian Church, Levine is hoping that he can make a difference for those who want a place to enjoy a meal in a social setting. The maps also include places where community members can take a shower, get clothing or play a game of table tennis. Levine’s map has been published on BU Off Campus College’s website. “I went to a number of churches and nonprofits and educational offices, and the church Downtown, United Presbyterian, printed the initial
run and I had this idea to laminate the copies so the [assistant dean for off-campus programs and services], Milton Chester, here at Binghamton [University] paid for that,” Levine said. “Some places have clothing, some places have showers. I found that the Anglicans are really big into pingpong and pool, board games. You know not everyone has access to a board game lying around or a pingpong table. I think that is important to know.” Levine said he has already started to see positive feedback from the community. The maps have been popular among
community members, and Levine hopes to expand his maps to include other local areas. “The feedback has been really positive,” Levine said. “I had someone on the [South] Washington Street [Parabolic] Bridge in Binghamton say that these would go like hotcakes, so that was kind of fun to hear. I had someone dance in their wheelchair, which was really fun. People have been really appreciative and welcoming to this sort of idea and really encouraging another version because I still have to map a few other areas.”
“They came in here and spent four to five days going through the medical part of the facility,” Harder said. “In their inspection, they make sure all of our policies are in line. We’ve passed with flying colors on that. I use the world ‘flying’ because they found no problems whatsoever.” Pipe Dream has filed a public records request for the jail’s inspection reports. Aside from a 24/7 nursing staff and a doctor that visits a few times per week, Harder said the jail also provides a dentist,
a barber, a library stocked with law and self-help books, heating, air-conditioning and cable. Smith said the inmates in the jail have many more amenities than he had during other parts of his life. “It’s kept pretty well,” Smith said. “I would’ve loved to live like they do here when I was in college.” While Harder said he receives criticism for the number of incarcerated people in the facility, he emphasized that it is not his responsibility to decide who gets put in the jail.
jackson galati pipe dream photo
“The courts put people in jail,” Harder said. “All I do is hold them as the sheriff.” As sheriff, Harder said he is hoping to see change in the Bail Elimination Act before it goes into effect. “I have spoken to Democrat leaders who think they should take a second look at the changes that are being made,” Harder said. “We in law enforcement are asking them to delay the starting date so they can.” Editor’s note: Senoo is a former staff photographer for Pipe Dream and PRISM.
sidney slon assistant photo editor
De Colores Cookies y Mas is moving to a new location in Binghamton.
De Colores Cookies y Mas moves to Clinton Street Storefront to be shared with Upstate Grain Gabriela Iacovano
arts & culture editor
A fixture of Binghamton’s West Side since August, De Colores Cookies y Mas will soon be bringing its sweet signature creations to Johnson City. Starting this weekend, owner Ely Rooney will be moving operations to a storefront at 81 Clinton St. Since 2010, Rooney has sold baked goods online and from her
home. When the Rooney family moved in August from Chenango Street to Leroy Street, De Colores moved with them. Rooney said after the new shop opens, the business will no longer be operating from the Leroy Street house. “We’re growing, so it was time to get into a bigger space,” Rooney said. De Colores Cookies y Mas will share a storefront with Upstate Grain, a business run by local artist Morgan Hastings, 32, of Binghamton. A friend of Rooney’s, Hastings discovered
the Johnson City location in October after toying with the idea of opening a store. The store will operate as a retail and bake shop boutique, where each business owner will run her own register. “We knew we wanted to keep both our identities, both of our businesses, so it’s basically a shared space,” Rooney said. De Colores Cookies y Mas will still sell its usual cookies, tarts, quiches and more, while likely trying out new items as well. Rooney said the store will eventually start carrying hand-
painted prints and greeting cards from a friend in Savannah, Georgia, who operates as Darling Lemon on Etsy. According to Rooney, Upstate Grain specializes in “cozy living” type items; the Etsy shop currently offers candles, blankets, bath products and Binghamtoninspired merchandise. Hastings also makes custom wooden signs, a skill that she’ll be sharing at in-store classes. Rooney will host classes of her own, teaching attendees how to decorate cookies. Rooney, whose husband, Brian
Rooney, is a lecturer of biology at Binghamton University, said she envisions the bake shop as a potential hangout or study spot for students once a cafe area is set up. “It’ll be very BU-friendly, so students have a place they can go to and study and have coffee and just relax,” Ely Rooney said. “We kind of want it to be a home away from home, because our big thing is we really want to grow in the community and we want to be community-friendly, especially to our students.” While many of her Leroy
Street customers were in walking distance of De Colores Cookies y Mas before the move, Rooney said she believes they will follow her to Clinton St., as many of them did after the shop’s first location change. She said the Antique Row location, which neighbors the newly opened Parlor City Vegan and offers free parking nearby, is an ideal spot to run a business. “It’s an up-and-coming space, I think we’re in an area that is going to grow eventually,” she said. “We’re hoping to bring people out to other businesses as well.”
Explorchestra show features student compositions Club celebrated its 11th year on Saturday Patrick Earns
assistant arts & culture editor
Student composers saw their works come to life on Saturday as Binghamton University’s Explorchestra hosted “An Evening with Explorchestra: 11 Years of Original Music” in University Union 120. The free concert ran from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and featured 13 songs written and performed by members of the club. Founded on campus in 2009, Explorchestra is a student-led
orchestra that prides itself on performing exclusively original musical pieces. There are no limitations based on skill, and any student who brings their own instrument is welcome to join the group. Seth Gully, public relations chair for Explorchestra and a sophomore triple-majoring in philosophy, politics and law, economics and French, said many members appreciate the club for the lower time commitment compared to groups such as Symphony Orchestra. “I know for me, the reason I’m in this group was because the Symphony Orchestra and auditioning and stuff, it just
seemed like quite a lot to do after high school, so I thought ‘Explorchestra,’” Gully said. “And I think a lot of people probably have that same sort of thought pattern.” The 13 songs performed by Explorchestra varied widely in musical tradition and style, with influences ranging from classic compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach to the eclectic energy of a Manhattan street. “Rise of the Byzantines,” a piece written by Gabriel Zornberg, a freshman majoring in Japanese studies, was inspired by his interest in the Byzantine Empire born out of playing the video game “Age of Empires II” with
his father as a child. Eschewing traditional ideas of orchestral music as stuffy and serious, the semester show featured moments of comedic relief. In one song called “The Perfect Baton,” a conductor searches for a suitable baton, attempting and failing to use a bag too heavy to keep time, as well as a magic wand that works well until a musician finds flowers coming out of the end of their instrument. Gully described the process of helping members write original pieces, and said Explorchestra provides a collaborative atmosphere. “Some people come in
ready [and] they want to write music, they’re driven, others, maybe they’re in our club for like a semester or two and then they decide to try and write something,” Gully said. “All of us e-board members and general members are happy to provide feedback. I know for me, for example, I play the clarinet, but I have no idea how to write violin music sometimes. Hearing back from other people like, ‘This is difficult’ or ‘That’s not possible.’” Explorchestra also provides a “composer’s workshop” each semester, in which a music professor comes in to listen to audio recordings of a writer’s
work and offers feedback on their projects. The group’s approach to encouraging new submissions has paid off, as six of the 13 performances came from first-time composers. Gully specifically noted the contributions of the club’s younger members. “Especially this group of freshmen, a few have written pieces, and they are honestly just exceptional,” Gully said. “I know I am blown away by some pieces other people write, and especially our freshmen this semester.” Editor’s note: Gully is a contributing columnist for Opinions.
Playwrights & Artists Festival returns to Binghamton Two of six winning plays performed on Friday Kyle Reina
staff writer
A local festival highlighting the intersections between visual and performance art kicked off this weekend in Binghamton. On Friday, the 16th-annual Playwrights & Artists Festival at KNOW Theatre showcased the plays “Remembered,” written by John Mabey and directed by Nick DeLucia, which won Best of Festival this year, and “Randall & Sons,” written by Sarah Lyn Eaton and directed by Tim Gleason, artistic director of the KNOW Theatre. The plays, based off the photograph “Traces — Mudroom” by JW Johnston, are two of six shows chosen from more than 90 submissions to be produced by the KNOW Theatre over the next two weeks. Every year, participating playwrights are challenged to script a play based off three different art pieces by three artists, and after a lengthy process, they eventually get assigned a director and actors by Gleason.
The playwrights of both of Friday’s works pulled similar details from the artwork, according to Johnston. “I would have to say, generally speaking, I find it extremely interesting how two different people could see this work I created and come away with interpretations, some of which I got and some of which I didn’t see coming,” he said. “I find it very interesting. I said during the talkback, ‘Everyone can come away with a piece of art with their own interpretations,’ and that was worn out, obviously by these two wonderful plays we saw. So I guess that was my biggest takeaway.” The plays and artwork were accompanied by a music composition created by Tom Rasely, which was also inspired by Johnston’s photograph. Rasely’s composition was a cover of the song “Traces” by Classics IV. “Remembered” focuses on the relationship between a buyer, played by Erik Young, and a seller, played by Susan Stevens. The buyer visits the seller to discuss a deal each year, and their relationship goes further than business and
becomes intimate. These scenes highlighted DeLucia’s directing work, which Mabey especially appreciated. “The director of this piece did a phenomenal job, and I was just talking to him about his process,” Mabey said. “I purposefully didn’t put in a lot of stage direction because I really like the collaborative aspect of it, of writing something and just letting it go. I thought what he did with this was he created moments from the dialogue. The seeds of the physical interaction
were in the dialogue and he brought it to life in a way that I wasn’t even expecting.” Both characters deal with loss, and one of the characters, Doris, especially feels the pain of her mother’s death as she reminisces about the memories she had with her in their mudroom — the key starting point from the photograph. Mabey said he was looking to prioritize loss as a theme as he wrote the play. “I developed it in this way because I really wanted to talk about loss, but also to me
lucas peterka contributing photographer The 16th-annual Playwrights & Artists Festival featured plays based on local art.
there’s two sides of loss,” he said. “There’s the sadness of losing something, but then when you also find someone who’s experiencing the same loss, you can actually get something from it. So there’s two people who are feeling lost in the world in different ways, but their ability to both embrace that feeling of loss connects them, so they find something new in the loss.” “Randall & Sons” explores the relationship between a father, Dave Merrell, and daughter, Amanda Marsico, focusing on how it has been influenced by their complicated family history. From Marsico’s ruined marriage with her wife, who left her for another woman, to a member of their family overdosing, Eaton crafts a dramatic and tense script. Johnston said “Traces — Mudroom” was inspired by his father’s frequent note-keeping and constant scribblings. Fathers are prominently featured in both plays, as Eaton said she was also inspired by her father in deciding where to start. “It evoked memories of my father and for me, it came with him not being where he wants to in his life and carpentry is a
thing for him,” Eaton said. “He’s a factory worker, like I said on the stage, he now fills trucks of lumber for construction sites at 67. I looked at [the photograph] every day just to spend a little time with it until I heard the conversation between a man and his daughter about how neither of them knew what was going on in each other’s lives anymore because they had been so focused on caretaking … That is where I started with the play. This is them trying to find just that first footstep forward.” The festival will continue next week at KNOW Theatre, with each program starting at 8 p.m. On Friday, Nov. 29, the theatre will feature “A Big Ocean” by Arianna Rose and “Your Turn” by Judd Lear Silverman, inspired by artist Tom Haines’ print, “Someday My Prints Will Come.” “Remembered” by John Mabey and “Randall & Sons” by Sarah Lyn Eaton, inspired by Johnston’s photo, will be shown again on Saturday, Nov. 30, and the theatre will put on productions of “Anyplace That’s Not Home” by John Shea and “The Model” by Judith Pratt, inspired by Audrey Higgins’ painting, “Folded,” on Sunday,
bupipedream.com | November 25, 2019
ARTS & CULTURE
7
Navigating FOMO: how to SEFF brings student films confidently skip a night out to campus, community Tips to help you ease the pain of missing out
Film festival celebrates 10th anniversary
Calendra Scahill
Kyle Reina
It’s Friday night. Your friends are preparing to go Downtown. Rap music and the smell of alcohol permeate the air. “Come out with us, it’s going to be so fun,” they say. You would go if it weren’t for the massive pile of work due Monday. There’s no way you’ll finish if you go. But for some reason, you’re torn. What if your friends have the best night of their lives? What if they take cute pictures without you? What if they forget about you? You might be suffering from a strong case of FOMO — the fear of missing out. “You feel like you’re going to miss out on what your friends are doing and you’re going to be left in the dark about like, ‘This funny thing happened last night and I wasn’t there to experience it,’” said Elisabeth Stein, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience. Jessica Cohen, mental health promotion coordinator for Binghamton University’s Health Promotion and Prevention Services, said FOMO is prominent on college campuses because students often think they have to do it all. “I think that all college students — and [BU] students are no exception — have this pressure on them to do everything,” Cohen said. “So there’s pressure to get perfect grades, be in every club, have a perfect résumé, but also be really involved in their social circles.” If you suffer from FOMO, here are some tips to ease the pain the next time you miss a fun night out. Stay off social media when your friends go out. Although it may be tough, staying away from your social media feeds will remove a huge distraction and help you focus. Who needs to see five minutes of blurry Snapchat videos anyways? Leanne Petrone, a senior majoring in biology, said this might even make you forget that you’re missing out. “After I deleted social media I really haven’t felt FOMO since, because I don’t see when people are out, you know?” Petrone said. Prioritize school over your social life.
Featuring works from cinema students across the nation, the Student Experimental Film Festival (SEFF) showcased experimental films sectioned into different programs on its 10th anniversary. The festival spanned the course of two nights, showing a total of 36 films from students. Several films were created by Binghamton University students, but other submissions came from schools across the nation. The films were diverse in their content and subjects as some took on a vague narrative, while others purely focused on the aesthetics and cinematography of film. Nick Marshall, coordinator of the festival and a senior majoring in cinema, took note of some of the more unusual techniques used. “There was another film last night that was screened at
assistant arts & culture editor
staff writer
[the Bundy Museum of History and Art] called ‘The Pit’ and they made the film through a process using some of the same contaminates that are found in a pit of water that was the focus of the film itself, so I thought that was very interesting,” Marshall said. “There were some interesting ones, it was very cool to have a 3D film, I wasn’t expecting that. It was the first 3D work that I’ve seen that wasn’t a narrative feature film, like a blockbuster film in theaters.” Marshall said one of the more memorable films was “How to Choose a Name if Yours is Taken” by Jack Lyon, ‘19. “I’ve seen it a few times and I think there’s more that I get from it every time I watch it,” Marshall said. “Other than that, there were some films I really loved. I liked ‘One-Off’ which was the last film of the first program tonight. I thought that was a really beautiful film.” The festival is typically run via Cinema 300: Curating Film and Video, where students are delegated a role that is similar to being an e-board member of a club. With roughly 300
submissions, the students had to watch and narrow down the winners and categorize them to one of four programs, with two shown on each night. The programs each put forth a separate theme as they highlighted wide-ranging subjects such as anxiety, change and freedom. Brittaney Skavla, graphic designer for the festival and a senior double-majoring in cinema and psychology, said she has run film shows within the cinema department before, but the SEFF is a much larger event. “We are dealing with submissions across the country and there’s so much outreach that has to be done and organization,” Skavla said. “There is a lot that can go wrong, it’s very detailoriented — it is a lot of work honestly. It’s kind of like a job more than a class, because there is this end product that we are all working toward and we all want it to be nice and good. So it reflects on us too, how hard we have tried. Everyone has been trying hard the whole semester and I think it’s going to end up well.”
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Academics are the main reason you’re in college, so take your tests and homework seriously. Celebrate with friends after you ace your exams — it’ll feel even better. “You have to prioritize what matters more; there’s always going to be another night of going out, but with tests, once it’s done, it’s done,” Stein said. Find a loyal group of friends. A big part of FOMO is feeling like your friends are having fun without you — or even excluding you. But you shouldn’t have to worry if you have true friends. They might even want to stay in and study too. “Knowing that my friends aren’t going anywhere if I don’t go out that one night helps to reassure me about my decision,” Stein said. “And honestly, if they don’t want to be friends with you for not going out one night, then they’re probably not good friends to have.” Get involved on campus. Feeling lonely? Volunteer, join a club or participate in student government. These are great ways to build relationships outside of nightlife — and they don’t look bad on a résumé either. Even if you can’t go out, you’ll still be able to see friends
during events or meetings. “Things that drive connectedness can really help alleviate feelings of anxiety or isolation, and help people build those social support networks that they might be lacking,” Cohen said. Be mindful. It can be difficult, but don’t let FOMO consume your thoughts. Stay in the moment. Have confidence in your decision to stay home. Only you can make yourself feel jealous or guilty about missing an “unforgettable” night. “It’s not somebody else telling us that we should be doing more, or that all of our friends are hanging out without us,” Cohen said. “It’s more of this wondering of what you could be missing, and that’s really self-inflicted. Those thoughts are really coming from ourselves, and we have the power to change them.”
tyler gorman pipe dream photographer The Student Experimental Film Festival showcased student work from schools across the United States.
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Chicken Monday, November 2019 Thursday, Thursday, Monday, Monday, September October October April 3,2,25, 5, 2017 28, 2017 2017 2017
Little lies
Annabeth Sloan
President Roostervelt
Sudoku Chicken page
Sidney Slon
By The Mepham Group
Level: 1 2 3 4
Daniel Eisenhower
Solution to last issue's puzzle
© 2019 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
Release Date: Monday, November 25, 2019
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis You are the father!
Nelson Lin
-
Chicken problems
Tara Regan
ACROSS 1 Pole on the Pequod 5 Conclude from evidence 10 Auto loan figs. 14 Smoothie berry 15 Land, in France 16 Talk over tea 17 *Soccer ref’s formal warning 19 Like wet mud pies 20 Bullring bravo 21 Like dried-out mud pies 22 Cerebral __: brain layer 24 Name of many pharaohs 26 Singer Mars 27 *Letter box access 30 Emeril catchword 33 Like XLII, numeral-wise 36 Elevator innovator 37 Classic theater name 38 Eurasian border range 39 Fiber sources 40 Four-leaf clover, to some 41 Astronaut Armstrong 42 Apartment payment 43 “In Xanadu did __ Khan ... ”: Coleridge 44 Weigh station unit 45 *Area where cellphones don’t work 47 Weighty exam 49 Montblanc topper 53 Prohibited 55 Biblical “you” 57 Rose of rock music 58 “Sorry to say ... ” 59 Later than expected ... and where the ends of the answers to starred clues may be found 62 Opposite of went 63 Bay window 64 Many an Omani 65 Like two, not one
66 Simultaneous equation variables 67 No longer here DOWN 1 Big city big shot 2 Amtrak express train 3 Witch trial town 4 Shop __ you drop 5 Formal words of confession 6 Hickey spot 7 Start to unravel 8 Slip up 9 Disaster relief organization 10 Seed that grows squirrels? 11 *Sneak into the shot 12 Level with a wrecking ball 13 River of Hades 18 Neptune’s realm 23 Part of KO 25 Petite 26 Cheesy pancake, perhaps 28 Cosmetics giant 29 Lamp support 31 Ice skating feat 32 Mimicking bird
33 Littlest of the litter 34 Snack sometimes eaten from the inside out 35 *iPad’s giant ancestor 37 City where Joan of Arc died 39 Loaf holder 43 Weak- or knockfollower 45 Crime scene sample
46 In full view 48 “Peer Gynt” dramatist 50 Egypt’s capital 51 Guy felling trees 52 Annapolis frosh 53 Clock front 54 Norse king 55 Girl Scouts’ __ Mints 56 Hurried, old-style 60 Historical period 61 Kids’ game with a safe area
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
By Ed Sessa ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/25/19
11/25/19
OPINIONS Monday, November 25, 2019
Letter to the Editor: In response to Shiraz Otani’s Nov. 14 column Mahum Nazar Guest Columnist
The past two weeks had been chaotic for both Palestinians and Israelis. When I came across Shiraz Otani’s opinion on the matter in Pipe Dream, I found myself contemplating as to what it would be like to be stuck in a war between these two states. In her article, Otani only sheds light on one side of the narrative: the Israeli point of view. This is tragic but also predominant in Western media, as Israel is given
more salience when compared to Palestine. In fact, Palestinians have been portrayed by the Western media as “irrational” and “angry” creatures, too emotional and weak. Additionally, the mainstream Western media tends to focus on the Palestinian reaction rather than the Israeli action, suggesting that the Palestinians are on the offense when in fact they are merely on the defense. Such a situation is demonstrated in Otani’s article as she depicts the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) senior commissioner as a terrorist, “the driving force behind most terror activities emanating from the Gaza Strip.” Although this statement holds
true, majority of Palestinians are not involved in PIJ, and they are still portrayed as the attacker by Otani, who blames Palestinians for “250 rockets directed at the Jewish state.” She fails to mention that these rockets were in retaliation to the air raids targeting Abu al-Ata, in which Israel killed not only the intended target, but also 34 civilians in the Gaza Strip. The victims of the attacks included children: Firas, 3 months old, Salim, 3 years old, Mohannad, 12 years old, Moaaz, 7 years old and Waseem, 13 years old. To reiterate, the youngest victim of the Israeli attack was only 3 months old. Furthermore, in a statement made by an
Israeli military spokesperson on Nov. 15, the military insisted that their attack only targeted an “Islamic Jihad military infrastructure” and “no civilians were expected to be harmed as a result.’’ The truth of the matter is that “16 civilians were among the 34 Palestinians killed in the the two-day round of combat,” according to Gaza health officials. The children who were killed during the missile attack were sleeping at the time of the attack. How can one justify the killing of innocent lives at the time of aggression? On the Israeli side, 17 civilians were “lightly wounded in rocket attacks across the south,” where an 8-year-old girl, who
is mentioned by Otani in her article, was treated by medics after she collapsed because of the growing tension between the two sides. I agree with Otani’s main assertion that attacks taking place in Israel should not be trivialized, but only on the condition that the world also regards the attacks on Palestine in the same light. Just as Israel receives media attention when the country is attacked by Palestine, the same should be the case when Palestine is under attack by Israel. The IsraeliPalestinian conflict that has been going on for decades now, and it is often overlooked by many in America, as it is a conflict that
may seem merely repetitious and not salient for individuals living in a different continent. But when talking about the conflict, it is crucial to regard both sides of the narrative. What Otani wrote in her article was factually correct and her opinion on the matter is well respected, but as college students in a diverse learning environment, and as intellectuals who would be responsible for shaping the future, we should look at both sides of a picture and then use our better judgment to conclude which side is truly the victim and which one is the oppressor. Mahum Nazar is a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law.
The best way to cope with holiday stress may be to focus on yourself Spending time with family shouldn’t mean putting your mental health last Sophie Miller Contributing Columnist
“Blood is thicker than water” is a common expression people use when talking about family. It makes it sound like the blood bonds we have with our families are the strongest and most important bonds in our lives. What many people don’t know is that the full phrase is actually “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” This means that the relationships we make by choice are stronger than the relationships we have with our relatives — something important to remember as the holiday season approaches. Thanksgiving is around the corner and it is the quintessential family holiday (though it is important to acknowledge and
understand the roots of the holiday, but that’s a conversation for another time). When I picture Thanksgiving, I often picture a warmly lit room and a big family gathered around the table talking, laughing and eating. While this Norman Rockwell-esque scene is a reality for some, for many others, it is not. In fact, WebMD has a page dedicated to treating holiday-induced stress. Regardless of your relationship with your family, there are the stresses of cooking, dressing up, traveling and, worst of all, having to answer questions about your future. According to a 2018 survey, 88 percent of Americans experience holiday stress, with much of this stress coming from gift shopping, including the financial burden and knowing exactly what to get your loved ones. With all the stress that comes with the holidays, is it really the most wonderful time of the year? For some of us, Thanksgiving
and the following holiday season is a brutal reminder that we don’t have that perfect, idealized family situation. I am writing this because I don’t think people say it enough: You don’t have to participate. When the people dating our friends are treating them badly, we immediately tell them to cut them off. Maybe it should be the same for family. You shouldn’t let someone hurt you just because you share DNA. That being said, you can’t exactly break up with your dad. Cutting off toxic family members is not always easy or possible, so I don’t mean to tell you to cut off all contact with the people you don’t get along with. Instead, I simply mean to say: Put yourself first. This holiday season, it is important to remember that it’s okay to sit out the bickering and offensive comments. I am a huge proponent of avoiding things I know will make me
feel bad. It is important to put yourself first and do what is best for you. All this being said, if you do participate in a stressful family event, remember that you’ll probably end up with an entertaining story about something your unusual aunt did. However, there are a number of things you can do to make surviving a hard holiday easier. Something my mom always tells me is to take things from where they come. That just means that when someone says something that hurts your feelings, you have to look at the intention behind it. If your high school bully says “So, you’re still single,” they probably mean to make you feel bad. If your grandma says the same thing, she is definitely just shocked that someone as great as you hasn’t been swept off your feet yet! Avoid talking about politics,
if possible. The younger generation tends to have different political views from our parents, and especially our grandparents. In this political climate, Thanksgiving dinner is probably not the time to talk about who you’re voting for, seeing as there will most likely be many different views and opinions. It’s easy for everyone to get worked up, so avoid it the best you can. It’s also okay to defend yourself — learning to speak up for yourself is important. It’s hard and scary, but a necessity. People won’t change unless you show them what they’re doing wrong. You should also try to focus on the good things about the holidays. Watch your favorite Christmas movies, find some funny Hanukkah songs, eat good food and spend time with that one cousin you love but never get to see. I think we all have small traditions that we
can cling to and find enjoyment in. Remember that everyone has issues with their family, too. Scrolling through Instagram and seeing everybody’s cute holiday pictures, it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one who is not having fun. That is certainly not the case. Everyone has issues they struggle with, even if they don’t show it. Despite what you might see on social media, no one has the perfect family. In short, you should put yourself first this holiday season, do what is best for you and understand that not everyone enjoys the holidays — and that’s okay. For some, the holidays are reminders of the family trauma I think we all have. That being said, enjoy some turkey and make sure to report back to Binghamton University with your crazy family stories. Sophie Miller is a junior majoring in English.
Letter to the Editor: On Pipe Dream’s protest coverage Kojo Senoo Guest Columnist
One of my first assignments for Pipe Dream was to photograph a joint meeting between the Black Student Union (BSU) and the Latin American Student Union (LASU). I walked into the BSU lounge and asked an executive board member when would be a good time to take photos for the article about their event. The discussion was on a sensitive topic, so I figured it’d be smart to ask. She responded in shock, stating that neither BSU nor LASU were notified that an article would be written and that she was unsure how everyone would feel about it. I chose not to take any photos and returned to the newsroom with an empty memory card. As journalists, there is as much importance in what we cover as there is in what
we exclude. In Pipe Dream’s content over the past week, the trust the student body has for the publication has dreadfully eroded due to what it has omitted. This especially rings true for the communities of color at Binghamton University, which have decried the narratives formed and the information absent by Pipe Dream’s coverage of two protests. The truth is, Pipe Dream has always had a rocky, at best, relationship with students of color. This isn’t to question the quality of the journalists here, which has generally been good and, to which I know personally, there are many exceptionally talented people working in the newsroom. More so, this has been an issue with who isn’t in the newsroom — students of color. PRISM was made to strengthen coverage on the multicultural community, and yet there seems to have been no space afforded for its editors or contributors in the consideration of the past week. The failure to acknowledge any of this in Monday’s editorial
speaks volumes. On the question of narrative, this omission of crucial information is eerily similar to the situation at Northwestern University. Students objected to how both The Daily Northwestern and Pipe Dream chose to cover protests mainly for the harassment many protesters, mainly black and brown women, faced both in person and online. Not once in last Thursday’s coverage, nor in Monday’s coverage, is the subject of right-wing harassment against students of color even mentioned. This is a colossal omission which indicates a lack of critical understanding why there was backlash to begin with. Civil rights advocates such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, as well as conservative groups such as Young America’s Foundation, have found Turning Point USA (TPUSA) to be a national organization that openly courts racist, antiSemitic white nationalists to join its ranks. TPUSA is infamous for its McCarthyist watch list of
professors deemed to “advance leftist propaganda” and the largescale harassment campaigns that many of its followers participate in against activists on the left — particularly those who are women and are of color. As of now, there are videos and articles of both protests circulating with hundreds of thousands of views — many of them littered with violent threats against students, organizations and the school itself. The protesters most visible in the actions have directly received threats against their own lives. Pipe Dream’s coverage and the narrative constructed have directly contributed to the violent harassment of fellow students. Why should students have any trust in an institution that has not shown any cognizance of that? As such, many students have called for the content to be taken down. I don’t care much for this personally, as it is a standard journalistic ethic to not remove content. However, what is more paramount is not of ethics, but rather the question
of Pipe Dream’s institutional morality. What do we believe is good journalism? Therein lies the difference between simply stating the facts we are given and speaking truth to power. The fact of the matter is that if there were students of color on the News staff, which currently has none, I am certain none of this would have even happened. Again, this isn’t to question the individual quality of any journalist, but the conscientiousness the situation deserved was absent — as were people of communities most proximate to the issues at hand in the production of Pipe Dream’s coverage. That is not a coincidence. It’s of no surprise that the past two years this publication has had relatively positive relationships with the multicultural community, as the primary editors of PRISM already held large editorial roles in other sections. From how journalists choose to reach people for comment, to giving appropriate notice of coverage, to how we respond when we fail — these are all crucial elements of how
any journalistic institution builds trust and respect of the people it chooses to cover. As of right now, students of color have no trust in Pipe Dream as it lacks the morality to properly consider the lives and struggles students of color have at BU. This will not change until changes are made within. Kojo Senoo, ‘19, is a former staff photographer for Pipe Dream and PRISM. Editor’s note: Senoo’s submission is co-signed by Sarah Molano, ‘19, a former opinions editor at Pipe Dream and a former PRISM editor, Kevin Paredes, ‘18, a former photography editor for Pipe Dream and PRISM, Grace Palumbo, ‘18, a former assistant sports editor for Pipe Dream, Steven Gonzalez, ‘19, a former video editor at Pipe Dream and former contributor for PRISM, Rebecca Kiss, ‘19, a former photography editor for Pipe Dream, Khaled Pendleton, ‘19, a former assistant designer for Pipe Dream and Evan Cole, ‘19, a former assistant sports editor for Pipe Dream.
Letter to the Editor: Statement from the Faculty Senate Diversity Committee Lubna Chaudhry Guest Columnist
The Faculty Senate Diversity Committee laments the events that took place on Thursday, Nov.
14, and Monday, Nov. 18, the first outside the University Union on the Spine, and the second in and outside of Lecture Hall 8. Students with opposing political views clashed. The first was peacefully resolved whereas the second one led to police intervention with rough treatment of some students and the arrest of one of them. We praise Brian Rose, vice president for student affairs, for a
prompt statement that recognizes the provocative nature of the activities of the first group on both days. We lament that the second group fell into the trap and proceeded to disrupt a speaker brought in by the first group. Even though campus police were successful in de-escalating the Thursday confrontation, and we applaud them for that,
their lack of enough preparation for the Monday evening event and their rough treatment of students leaves much to be desired. We are very concerned with the threats in Rose’s statement that Binghamton University will pursue charges and disciplinary actions, as it is not clear against whom they will be directed. Actions by BU College Republicans
and Turning Point USA are part of a much larger attempt to generate conflicts and disruptions on college campuses nationwide, in preparation for a very contested presidential election in fall 2020. We believe that freedom of speech should be respected from all sources, especially those one does not agree with. More importantly, one should not
fall into the trap of disrupting an opponent’s speech, thereby giving their opponents an excuse to claim to be “victims of left-wing bullies,” and to claim administration inaction against the provocateurs. Lubna Chaudhry is cochair to the Faculty Senate Diversity Committee and an associate professor of human development.
SantaCon
Sidney Slon Assistant Photo Editor
WARRIORS
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” is blasting on the speakers, so you know what that means, Weekend Warrior. It’s time to get your ugly Christmas sweaters out, Santa hats on and a bottle of peppermint schnapps chugged. It may only be November, but nothing screams holiday season more than blacking out on a Saturday afternoon.
bupipedream.com | November 25, 2019
SPORTS
11
Wrestling defeated by No. 9 North Carolina State at home Doyle, Trampe earn wins in challenging dual match Edward Aaron
assistant sports editor
Facing a top-10 opponent, the Binghamton men’s wrestling team was defeated on Saturday night by North Carolina State. The Bearcats (1-1) picked up a decision and a win by fall in the 28-9 defeat to the Wolfpack (6-0) but finished with a premier matchup between two ranked wrestlers in the 184-pound weight class. “As a team, we got beat offensively,” said BU head coach Kyle Borshoff. “If we’re not willing to go out and attack we’re not going to win a lot of matches against good teams. I think that everyone can see that we wrestle hard and our guys fight really hard, but it doesn’t matter how hard you fight if you’re not willing to be offensive.” The match started in the 197-pound weight class, with NC State earning a decision and was followed by the quickest bout of the day in the heavyweight matchup. Just 22 seconds in, redshirt sophomore Joe Doyle pinned his opponent to score Binghamton’s first points of the day. “Doyle’s always ready to scrap,” Borshoff said. “I think he’s got more technique and knows more wrestling moves than maybe any heavyweight in the country. No matter what his opponent tries
sidney slon assistant photo editor Redshirt sophomore Zack Trampe defeated the No. 14 wrestler in the 133-pound weight class as Binghamton lost to North Carolina State in a dual meet.
to do to him, Joe usually has an answer, and tonight he was able to find one pretty quick and secure a fall.” With redshirt junior Audey Ashkar not competing, freshman Tomasso Frezza battled against the 15th-ranked wrestler in the 125-pound bout, falling 9-2 but preventing him from earning a
major decision or a fall. Redshirt sophomore Zack Trampe earned a 3-1 decision in the 133-pound bout, defeating the 14th-ranked wrestler and drawing praise from Borshoff for his tactics. “He wrestled one of the best matches I’ve ever seen him wrestle,” Borshoff said. “It was close — that guy wanted to
make it a chess match. He tried to slow Zack down which people usually can’t do. Zack didn’t let that frustrate him or bother him, which is different than last year, and that’s something Zack has improved on.” With BU leading the team score 9-6, Wolfpack wrestlers won the final six bouts of the day.
The final bout, however, was the most anticipated matchup of the day, and its competitiveness did not disappoint. In the 184-pound weight class, redshirt sophomore Lou DePrez, ranked No. 4 nationally, competed against 12th-ranked redshirt freshman Trent Hidlay of NC State. The bout went into sudden-
death overtime tied at one, and the stalemate lasted through the initial 60-second period and the first 30-second period, but Hidlay earned an escape to end the match. “He had a good game plan for Lou and we’ve got some adjustments to make, but that’s certainly a match that I think we’ll win in the future,” Borshoff said. The Wolfpack are led by former Binghamton head coach Pat Popolizio, and he and Borshoff agreed to finish the match with the premier bout of the night. “We talked before the match, we texted about starting at 197 so that the 184-pound match could be the last match of the night,” Borshoff said. “As many matches like that [one] that Lou DePrez and Zack Trampe and Joe Doyle can wrestle, the better our chances of getting on the podium in March, the better our chances of being a national champion.” Earlier in the day, NC State wrestled No. 15 Cornell in Ithaca, New York. The Big Red, a higherranked program than Binghamton, scored the same number of points against the Wolfpack as the Bearcats did. Binghamton will continue to face challenging opponents in two weeks as they compete in one of the toughest tournaments in the country, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The event will take place from Friday, Dec. 6 to Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bearcats compete at 3-dayRhode Island invitational Swimming and diving earn second-place results Joe Tonetti
pipe dream sports
The Binghamton swimming and diving teams both finished second in their first invitational of the season against difficult competition. Over the course of the three-day Harold Anderson
Invitational, both teams overcame constant fatigue to deliver a promising performance going into the heart of the winter season. “I think it’s more important how we swim and getting through
david grinberg contributing photographer Sophomore Chris Egan swept the men’s diving events, taking first in both the one-meter (273.05) and three-meter (268.15) at the Harold Anderson Invitational.
being tired, not necessarily well rested, but still getting up and having a lot of season-best times and great values,” said Binghamton head coach Jerry Cummiskey. “That’s really your main focus right now … Every team is in a different phase of their season, some rest more than others. We’ve been pretty competitive with where we’re at right now.” The women’s team’s strongest performance on the first day came from junior Kaitlyn Smolar, who finished second in the 500 free, clocking in at 5:00.44. She battled with UVM freshman Mina Poppas the whole way, but Poppas just out-touched her, taking first with a time of 5:00.12. Although no other Binghamton women finished top three on the first day, the team’s depth made up enough points to land them a second-place position going into Saturday. The men’s races also proved competitive, as Providence put forth a strong performance against the other competing teams. The Friars started by taking the 200 free relay despite a strong showing from the BU team that placed second (1:26.72). The Bearcats continued to put up top-three results. Freshman Matthew Palguta took third in the 500 free with a time of 4:41.29, senior Ross Bernstein placed second in the 200 individual medley (1:55.22) and the 400 medley relay team placed second. The divers also swept the competition in the three-meter diving event, with sophomore
Chris Egan leading the sweep and scoring 268.15. Freshman Ryan Cohn and junior Erik Temple took second and third with scores of 260.05 and 250.85, respectively. Returning Saturday, the Bearcats continued to perform consistently. The women’s team began the day with a third-place finish in the 200 medley relay. Shortly after, freshman Manuela Matkovic placed third in the 100 fly with a time of 57.60. Additionally, Smolar finished third in the 200 free (1:52.89), while freshman Audrey Pesek placed second in the 100 backstroke (56.48) and junior Sophia Howard took the second spot in the three-meter diving event with a score of 243.50 to keep the Bearcats in second place overall with 448.5 points. As with the women’s team, the men’s side came back strong, opening the day with a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay, clocking in at 1:35.15. In the 400 individual medley, freshman Jackson Homan took second with a time of 4:08.52. Palguta returned Saturday to continue his run of good form to finish second in the 200 free (1:46.20), followed by a first-place performance from sophomore Ryan Board in the 100 breaststroke (57.88). Finally, junior Shane Morris finished second in the 100 backstroke (52.37). The day was capped off by another sweeping performance by Egan in the one-meter diving event to help the Bearcats finish with 676 points, only 17 points
behind Providence. The final day of the meet was decisive for the Bearcats. Pesek had the first big performance of the day with a third-place finish in the 200 backstroke (2:06.71), followed by senior Olivia Santos, who took second in the 100 freestyle (52.81). To end the meet on the women’s side, Smolar took gold in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 17:32.70, sealing the Bearcat’s second-place finish with a total score of 613.5. On the men’s side, freshman Justin Meyn placed second in the 100 freestyle (47.58), Board grabbed first in the 200 breaststroke (2:08.35), Bernstein took second in the 200 fly (1:52.74), freshman Zach Ciriaco clocked in at 16:34.42 in the 1,650 freestyle and the 400 freestyle relay team delivered a second-place result (3:08.37). Despite finishing with a score of 925.5 points overall, the men’s team couldn’t edge out Providence, who claimed first place with 980.5 points. “This meet kind of simulates our championship format, so it’s really our ‘dress rehearsal’ for championships in February,” Cummiskey said. “Our expectation is we swim well this weekend and come February when we rest and fully taper for championships, we feel even better and it makes everything that much easier.” On Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 4 p.m., the Binghamton swimming and diving teams will take on Cornell University in a dual meet in Ithaca, New York.
College football week 13: winners and losers Justin Zion Sports Editor
Week 13 was an interesting week in college football. Some teams’ playoff hopes barely survived, while others saw their playoff hopes crash and burn. Here are the winners and losers from week 13, coming to you a few days early! Winner: Oklahoma The Sooners are living on the edge. Faced with a 25-point road deficit last week against Baylor, Oklahoma roared back to seal a comeback victory and keep its playoff hopes alive. This week, No. 9 Oklahoma faced TCU at home and almost experienced the opposite scenario. Against the Horned Frogs, it was Oklahoma that took a big
lead early, only to see TCU close the gap late and almost complete a comeback against the Sooners. Fortunately for Oklahoma, it held onto both the win and its narrow playoff chances. By virtue of the win, Oklahoma (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) also clinched a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, where they will have a rematch against No. 14 Baylor (10-1, 7-1 Big 12). Oklahoma has a very narrow path to the playoff, but should the Sooners win their final two games of the year against No. 21 Oklahoma State and Baylor, they certainly have a strong case. Loser: Oregon If Oklahoma’s playoff hopes survived, then No. 6 Oregon’s died. The Ducks were up against an Arizona State team that had lost four games in a row. In their last game, the Sun Devils had given up 35 points in a loss to Oregon State, yet the Ducks were perpetually stymied
by ASU head coach Herm Edwards’ defense for most of the game. And then, when Oregon’s offense finally woke up and started scoring some points, the defense gave up an 81-yard touchdown pass on thirdand-16, basically ending the game. It was a lifeless performance by Oregon (9-2, 7-1 Pac-12), and one in which the Ducks likely saw their playoff chances collapse. If there’s one message the College Football Playoff Selection Committee has consistently sent every year in making its College Football Playoff selection, it’s that a team’s second loss is fatal. Winner: Alabama No single team benefited from Oregon’s loss more than No. 5 Alabama, as one hurdle standing between them and the College Football Playoff was knocked down. The consensus is that Alabama (101, 6-1 Southeastern Conference)
would need a lot of help to make the playoff, and this week they got it. Oregon was the likeliest team to get that fourth playoff spot, assuming No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson all won their respective conferences. A one-loss Oregon that won the Pac-12 would definitely have been a better team than Alabama, but now that Oregon’s out of it, can the same be said of the other playoff contenders? Is a oneloss No. 7 Utah team better than the Crimson Tide? Is Oklahoma or Baylor? Those are much tougher calls and ones that could even be in Alabama’s favor. Does Oregon’s loss mean that Alabama is favored to get in now? I’d still say no, but the path is certainly easier now for Nick Saban’s team. Loser: SEC It was the second-to-last week of the regular season. Selection Sunday is almost upon us. There
were big, consequential games in most of the major conferences, games that made or broke teams’ seasons. And the biggest game in the SEC was Texas A&M at No. 4 Georgia. Or maybe Arkansas at LSU? Those games are hardly consequential and interesting. These matchups stem from an awful practice by many SEC schools to schedule nonconference games against really weak opponents this week of the season. For example, Alabama hosted Western Carolina, while No. 15 Auburn played against Samford, games that were over after the end of the first quarter. I understand that these smaller schools receive significant compensation for playing in these games, but could the SEC schools at least do us the favor of scheduling these games at the beginning of the season? Not a single fan wants to watch this garbage at this crucial
point in the season. It’s a bad look for college football, and it’s a horrible look for the conference that calls itself the best conference in college football. Honorable Mention: FIU On one side, it was a storied football program, the Miami Hurricanes, who have five claimed national titles and six Orange Bowl victories. On the other side, it was a football program that’s not even two decades old. FIU has only appeared in four bowl games in its history, winning two of them. Yet this discrepancy in greatness did not matter on the football field on Saturday, where the Panthers (6-5, 3-4 Conference USA) shocked the Hurricanes (6-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) in Marlins Park. The two teams had met three times previously, with Miami winning all of them, but now FIU has bragging rights in this crosstown showdown.
WRESTLING
BU falls to NC State SEE PAGE 11
Monday, November 25, 2019
Five Bearcats score double digits in win over Army
rose coschignano photo intern
Sophomore center Yarden Willis dunked twice in Binghamton’s win over Army, ending the game with 14 points and five rebounds.
basketball from page 1 in the contest, with two of them, sophomore guard Sam Sessoms and senior forward Pierre Sarr, leading the Bearcats in scoring on the day with 16 points apiece. Sarr also secured his first double-double of the season, leading the team with 13 rebounds, four of them coming on the offensive glass. While the team received important contributions from its starters, its bench was also able to step up and continue the Bearcats’ offensive push in the game, especially when Sessoms
and Sarr had to spend some time on the bench in the second half because of foul trouble. Both sophomore center Yarden Willis and freshman guard Dan Petcash were among the doubledigit scorers, with Petcash hitting three 3-pointers in the contest, the most on the team. “We outscored them 28-5 off the bench — I think that’s a big stat, and we out-rebounded them by 19,” Dempsey said. “When you do that, you’re gonna be in a pretty good position to win.” The game was a tight one for most of the first half, with neither team able to take a
lead of more than five points until under the four-minute mark. The bulk of the Bearcats’ offense in the opening half came on 3-pointers, with 20 of the team’s 32 first-half field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc. The Bearcats made seven 3-pointers in the first half, with five of them coming from Petcash and freshman guard Brenton Mills. It was Petcash’s 3-pointers that allowed BU to finally pull away from Army in the closing minutes of the first. BU extended its lead to as many as 18 points in the second
half, but Army made a strong push in the middle stages of the second led by senior guard Tommy Funk. Funk scored 18 of his 20 points in the latter half, powering a run that saw the Black Knights cut the BU lead to seven. Nevertheless, Sessoms, who had a slow game for the first 30 minutes, was able to respond, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the final eight minutes of the game to restore Binghamton’s double-digit lead and help the team end the game comfortably. “I started being more aggressive,” Sessoms said. “I
saw Funk had a nice rhythm going, and the momentum was shifting toward them. I felt like it was my job to start being more aggressive, regardless of my field-goal percentage in the first 30 minutes of the game … Shots began to fall, and things went my way.” After losing the first three games of their season, BU responded with three straight wins to even its record at .500. Though the team has looked resilient in its recent stretch of games, Dempsey stressed that there still is room to grow. “I think the team’s been
through a lot, and I think that helps accelerate your togetherness, so to speak,” Dempsey said. “The on-court stuff was what I was more concerned would take some time, and we still are a work in progress … I think we have another gear that we’re still a month away from, but certainly we’re playing good basketball over the last few games.” BU next takes to the court on Tuesday, Nov. 26 for a home game against Division III Oneonta. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.
Women’s basketball downs Hornets, Knights in road trip Moon scores 1,000th career point against FDU Lance Kim
pipe dream sports
With wins over Delaware State and Fairleigh Dickinson this past week, the Binghamton women’s basketball team continued its strongest start in the team’s Division I era. The Bearcats (60) were led once again by senior guard Kai Moon, who scored her 1,000th career point against Fairleigh Dickinson. “My teammates had told me how many points I needed, and at halftime they all let me know [I had scored 1,000], but for the most part I had no idea,” Moon said. “They’re a tough team, they played us all the way to the end. They’re not what their record shows they are, so for us to come in here and get a win is really big for us.” Adding to the team’s milestones, Moon became the 18th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point landmark. Moon was able to score 22 of 60 total points against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (0-5), crossing the 1,000-point threshold with a 3-pointer in the second quarter. With 1,013 points in her career, she needs seven more points to enter 16th place in the Bearcats’ all-time scoring records. Currently averaging 24.2 points per game, Moon leads the conference in points scored and
3-pointers made, with 25. Behind Moon, junior forward Olivia Ramil scored 14 points in the game. Her sister, sophomore forward Annie Ramil, collected eight rebounds, tied for a teamhigh in the game with senior guard Karlee Krchnavi. “We’re just focused in on getting better every game, keep piling on these wins,” Olivia Ramil said. “We’ve got a really special team and I’m happy to be a part of it.” On Thursday against the Hornets (3-3), the Bearcats scored 70 or more points for the fifth straight game, tallying 75 on the back of strong free-throw shooting. After trailing in the first quarter, the team was able to convert 77 percent of its shots in the second quarter to take a 42-33 halftime lead. The lead held, with both teams scoring the same number of points in the second half, ending in a 75-66 win for Binghamton. “The girls really pulled it together and took care of each other,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “On the road, you can’t leave it in anyone else’s hands but yourself.” Senior guard Carly Boland scored a team-high 19 points in 38 minutes. In what was their second contest on the road this year, the Bearcats were able to stay confident despite being away from home. “We don’t usually do the best on the road, so it was nice to get a win,” Boland said. “The
sidney slon assistant photo editor Senior guard Kai Moon scored her 1,000th career point in the Bearcats’ 60-48 win over Fairleigh Dickinson, finishing the game with 22 points.
atmosphere was crazy but I think we thrived in it … I just knew we needed someone to keep everyone together and to take control of the game, so I try my best to do that.” Freshman guard Zahra Barnes and freshman guard Denai Bowman also posted notable results in the game.
Barnes scored 10 points, hitting double digits for the first time in her career, and Bowman scored eight points and collected seven rebounds. Following victories over the Hornets and the Knights, the Bearcats have an opportunity to equal the second-best start in program history, 7-0, with a
win against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Wednesday. The Bonnies (1-5) have defeated Binghamton in their past nine matchups, dating back to 2007. However, the Bearcats have a legitimate shot at matching the 1996-97 women’s basketball team’s 7-0 start. They also have an opportunity to break their
record for consecutive wins in the NCAA Division I era, which they are currently tied for at six. This game will be followed by a test against Eastern Michigan at home on Sunday. Tipoff against the Bonnies is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.